Conflict and its attendant violence is the focus of our course at present. There are many approaches that we could take to examining the question of violence in society and the world. Some of the questions which you should consider are the following:
As we enter into the 21st century has our world become more dangerous?
Should we employ an armed force to ensure our national security?
What are the root causes of violence in society?
Are nuclear weapons necessary?
What is the nature of armed conflict in today's world?
Are nations ever justified in employing force to ensure global security?
Consider the following diagrams. What do the suggest as a root cause of conflict?
Where does conflict begin?
What is our individual responsiblity in eliminating interpersonal conflict?
Weapons are a focus of this first part of the course. What you need to do here is following along with some points in the lecture about weapons and laws.
Second, what you must do is do a little research on this question: Was the Washington Naval Conference of 1921 an effective agreement to assure world peace? Be sure to provide some sort of evidence. To be done in PowerPoint form. Thus get to the point immediately in addressing the above question. Consider why it was not effective, what did it fail to do, and what did it fail to anticipate in terms of technological development? What was the spirit of this agreement? The letter of it? Your slides (limit to 6 max) should be placed here Responses to Wahington Naval Conference
Prepare for the following in class discussion on the causes of violence. This is one person's take on the issue, so keep this fact in mind. Thus it may not always have universal application. You may consider looking up anything about or written by James Gilligan. He worked for some time in the prison system in the US, and has also worked in Harvard University's Dept. of Psychiatry. His book, Violence: A Reflection on a National Epidemic, is the source and inspiration for your discussion.
Debating NPT in the UN
In preparation for two classes of nuclear discussion - ultimately pointing to the issues surrounding North Korea and Iran - we will be engaging in some discussions about nuclear weapons, nuclear deterrence and nuclear disarmament. I hope it's a blast.
Website for consideration:
. See you Monday, October 20, 2008.
You will have one full hour of research in the library or on the internet. Here is a list with the country which you will represent for our group discussion next class (Friday). If you are unable to attend, please e-mail to me a brief summary of how a representative of your nation would react to the questions asked.
N.B. We will be continuing the discussion starting at Proposition 4 to 6 on Monday, October 27, 2008. For those in Graum keep this in mind.
A final exercise on conflict
A fantastic source of current information for those interested in conflicts, military spending, conventional and non-conventional arms agreements, use this source:
Conflict and its attendant violence is the focus of our course at present. There are many approaches that we could take to examining the question of violence in society and the world. Some of the questions which you should consider are the following:
As we enter into the 21st century has our world become more dangerous?
Should we employ an armed force to ensure our national security?
What are the root causes of violence in society?
Are nuclear weapons necessary?
What is the nature of armed conflict in today's world?
Are nations ever justified in employing force to ensure global security?
Consider the following diagrams. What do the suggest as a root cause of conflict?- Weapons are a focus of this first part of the course. What you need to do here is following along with some points in the lecture about weapons and laws.
Weapons.ppt
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- Second, what you must do is do a little research on this question: Was the Washington Naval Conference of 1921 an effective agreement to assure world peace? Be sure to provide some sort of evidence. To be done in PowerPoint form. Thus get to the point immediately in addressing the above question. Consider why it was not effective, what did it fail to do, and what did it fail to anticipate in terms of technological development? What was the spirit of this agreement? The letter of it? Your slides (limit to 6 max) should be placed here Responses to Wahington Naval Conference
Grading rubric:The Atomic Bomb Unit
Debating NPT in the UN
In preparation for two classes of nuclear discussion - ultimately pointing to the issues surrounding North Korea and Iran - we will be engaging in some discussions about nuclear weapons, nuclear deterrence and nuclear disarmament. I hope it's a blast.
Website for consideration:
You will have one full hour of research in the library or on the internet. Here is a list with the country which you will represent for our group discussion next class (Friday). If you are unable to attend, please e-mail to me a brief summary of how a representative of your nation would react to the questions asked.
N.B. We will be continuing the discussion starting at Proposition 4 to 6 on Monday, October 27, 2008. For those in Graum keep this in mind.
A final exercise on conflict
A fantastic source of current information for those interested in conflicts, military spending, conventional and non-conventional arms agreements, use this source:
Using the above source, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Year Book, answer the questions for review and discussion for your next class